Keanu Reeves has come a long way since Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Point Break. Reeves is set to make his directorial debut on the martial arts pic Man of Tai Chi. THR reports that Universal Pictures has given the greenlight to the film, which will be shot in China and co-financed by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, China Film Group, Wanda Media and Universal. Reeves is staring in the film that reunites him with Village Roadshow, which co-produced and co-financed The Matrix franchise with Warner Bros.

The film will be shot in Mandarin and English, and is slated to start production in February. The story takes place in contemporary Beijing, and will feature Tiger Chen in the lead role. Chen was part of the kung fu team in The Matrix. In this movie he plays “a young martial artist whose fighting skills brings him to a realm of vast opportunities, and painful choices.”

I grew up watching Kung Fu Theater on Sundays as a kid. I am a huge fan of martial arts movies, so this sounds really cool. When I saw the first Matrix movie I was blown away, so it will be cool to see Chen involved in the film. What are your thoughts?